


All Alone

by Lunarium



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Character deaths???, Explosions, Horror, Language Barrier, M/M, Magic-Users, Making Love, Monsters, Silent World, Stranded, Surprise Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:08:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7643851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A battle with a giant goes awry, resulting in two mages alone in an abandoned and quiet town. But a graver danger rests right below their feet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jouissant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jouissant/gifts).



> Dear jouissant: This was such a joy to write for you! Thank you for your wonderful prompt! :)
> 
> Many thanks to my most amazing beta!

From this height, Lalli could see all of the once-bustling town, now laid to waste. Nothing stirred, not a shadow nor critter nor other human being, as far as his sharp eyes could glean from the dark. The lack of fiends was very well, as his party had dwindled to only himself and one more individual, and with his injury, he wasn’t in any shape to properly fight. But the absence of any animals meant another day would pass without meals, and as they were without any provisions provided by their funders, their means of sustenance was left to the mercy of the world around them. 

In the distance he could just make out the form of his last remaining companion. The foolish boy had at least learned to stay silent while Lalli did his surveying, though he was doing a surveying of his own: idly twirling at his hips, long red braid dancing behind him as he studied the world around. If it was his way of helping Lalli, he was as effective as their means of communication. 

That was another matter. Language had not become their only barrier, and to his dismay Lalli brought his fingers up to his throat, ghosting over the still-healing wounds that marred the entirety of his neck. The gashes had gone deep enough to affect  his speech, so that even shouting to the mage-boy was near impossible. He had to resort to waving his arms and hoping the idiot would stop his useless dancing and take notice. 

He supposed having Reynir with him at all was a miracle. Here, at the end of the world.

*

Lalli had been falling asleep when it had happened. His cousin’s screaming jolted him out of the sleep-spell enough to learn they were under attack—a giant had located their tank—and after considerable effort to kill it, they drove off, speeding through old abandoned streets and over a long bridge as the great black shadow stomped over car after car, gaining on them. Lalli had his spells ready. They threw explosives. Their captain had dared the great giant with only a dagger in her hands. His cousin sped them down the bridge.

None of them thought that a truck with a tank loaded with gas still filled to the brim from ninety years back would end up sabotaging their entire mission. A stray bomb had made contact, and the explosion took out the tank, the giant, and the entire bridge. 

By the time Lalli came to, he saw old cars slipping out and falling from where the broken bridge was fragmenting. Fire was everywhere. He had no idea how far he had been thrown off. The giant was nowhere in sight. 

There was only fire all around; smoke nearly suffocated him, and something hot and burning trickled down his neck. 

Pushing himself to his elbows, the pain in his neck seared, and he became vaguely aware of the blood stains on his coat. Looking to his left he noted a blotch of red not too far off and nearly collapsed in surrender. But he pushed himself to look again, his dazed eyes focusing on red and realizing they were hair. 

In relief he crawled towards the body, but it soon turned to concern when he gazed down at the other mage. Reynir lay sprawled, eyes closed, and the crack ran across his skull like red lightning, the blood pooling around in his hair. 

“Hey!” Lalli wanted to yell, but he only gargled when he opened his mouth, shocked when he felt something hot and metallic-tasting rise up into his mouth. He tried tapping Reynir’s shoulders, then shook him, the worry growing when the other mage did not reply. He could leave him for dead, or put a bullet through his skull and hope he did not become a ghost or fused with a troll, but he could not bring himself to it. A quick glance around himself showed not a single hint of the others. Whatever happened to them, Reynir was at least in one piece, if broken and bleeding. 

Another explosion erupted as fire reached another gas tank, triggering a another reaction. A smaller one, but still deadly. Lalli had to duck as something went flying near his head. There was a third truck, massive in size, and the flames were fast making their way towards it. Lalli didn’t want to be around for that. 

He gathered Reynir into his arms, securing him tightly against his chest so his head would not loll around too much, and dragged him off as quickly as he could just as the third truck was lit and exploded, demolishing the rest of the bridge.

*

Lalli sighed, debating with himself if he should leave his post to physically run over to Reynir’s side when at last the foolish boy glanced up, and his eyes lit with recognition before sprinting down the street towards him. He gave another sigh as he watched Reynir run up the stairs towards him, seeming happily oblivious. They would be sleeping hungry again.

Reaching the landing, Reynir crossed the attic and towards the window where Lalli was perched and stood with his arms out, grinning cheerfully. Lalli wasn’t sure why he kept smiling when he knew there would be only bad news. Nothing they could find to eat. No sign of the others. They couldn’t even sleep in this building, and would have to walk another five miles back to the only safe camp Lalli had found the day before, or risk continuing onward. 

But there were no dangers about. That was one good thing. Perhaps he was starting to think like Reynir. 

He gave a snort at that thought and got to his feet. He grabbed Reynir’s braid by the tip and pointed towards the staircase, back where they had come from. Reynir immediately obeyed. 

He didn’t let go of the braid. He couldn’t quite articulate why. He had been alone many times before. He worked alone. Lived alone. But the explosion had done something to him. He lost a family member. He was in a strange foreign land and had no means of going back home. Both had tried to get into contact with Onni with strangely no success. They were completely separated from the rest of the world, utterly lost in a new place neither one knew how to navigate in. 

The braid assured him he was still tied to a life he was familiar with. Afraid as he may be, the braid gave him comfort—Reynir gave him comfort. He would not admit it any time soon, but after all the weeks working alongside the other mage, he no longer entirely hated Reynir.

*

There were times when Reynir went on and on about his head injury. The slightest thing seemed to set him off and he’d start to point and rattle on, the hitch in his voice indicative of fear. Lalli had come to understand the Icelandic words for “rash disease” and “infection” from all the times Reynir had used them, to know whenever Reynir got into those moods. It was all he could do to hold out a hand to motion Reynir to stop, then feel his forehead, and check his face and arms for any signs of the rash. He didn’t look ill at all, but the fear was understandably there. To offer Reynir any comfort, Lalli would point to his rifle to remind him of one option should the illness come to him; his offer didn’t seem to help much.

Healing the head injury had taken all of Lalli’s efforts, working with a mauled throat, to exert every last drop of his magic into sealing the gash. If he had botched the healing spell, if he had ended up giving Reynir brain damage on top of everything else, he only had himself to blame. 

Lalli began to feel guilty for having saved Reynir from the scene. He had not thought of Reynir’s lack of immunity. The save was instinctive, and perhaps somewhere deep down, selfish. 

When he had first seen the fool in his dreams, he was smitten enough to seek out his companionship, a rare thing for a person such as himself, but then the boy had kept running and didn’t look back even as the monsters in the dream-water pulled Lalli down. He hated him for it, thought him a wicked and sly mage, but weeks working together in the same tank had thawed his initial disdain for the boy. The moment at the dream-water was unintended, he had come to understand. The boy was no wicked mage, though he was, according to Onni during a phone conversation weeks back, horribly a novice at magic. But he was benign, a fool more than anything. Lalli couldn’t hate him. 

It also brought back the initial awe, the rush of adrenaline that Lalli had come to identify as attraction. He never told Reynir; there was no need to. That was something to be kept buried, hidden. It would distract the entire team from their mission, and it was bad enough Lalli would fall into moments of pure distraction. A flash of bare skin as Reynir changed out of his clothes would be enough to send heat rushing through Lalli’s body. He would bid his time until he could steal away into the night during his scouting, find some privacy behind a tree not too far off but not near enough to be caught, and find relief by using his hands as Reynir filled his thoughts.

That beautiful face with the fool’s smile…his mind turned back to how pale it looked on the snow, cracked and bleeding, just the wrongness of seeing him _hurt_. 

Lalli looked back up, breaking out of his reverie, in time to see Reynir unbutton his shirt to check for any rash, and he lunged at him, grabbing his arms. His eyes flashed as he adamantly shook his head. He didn’t need to be aroused right now, and Reynir had the ability to do that in an instant. 

Fate was laughing at him. The gods did not leave him with family, or the captain with enough experience to get them both out of this mess. Fate did not leave him the friend he made on the journey or the oldest member of the team who kept the bags of sweets tucked in his pockets at all times. 

Fate left him with Reynir.

*

Lalli’s eyes fluttered open the moment the raft under him trembled, signaling his approaching guest. For once he was thankful for it, and pushed himself to sitting position just as Reynir reached him and settled on a spot right beside the lake.

“This isn’t going to work out,” Lalli said. His voice was terribly hoarse even in the dream world, and each word felt like knives escaping past his throat. The words came out like a faint whisper that Reynir had to lean forward to understand him. Lalli had to make good use of every time he spoke, hence why he chose to be mute in the waking world and speak only in the dream world. Reynir could never understand him otherwise. 

“I was thinking we could teach each other our language,” Reynir said. 

Lalli shook his head, pointing to his throat. “Would not do me much good.” 

“At least for common things, then? Just to yell to get my attention. Point out things to me. Ask me how my morning’s going.” 

Lalli cocked one eyebrow. He was certain he knew how Reynir’s mornings went, considering that he spent nearly every moment with him. Seeing Lalli’s reaction, Reynir threw out his arms. 

“Hey, I’m not happy with seeing us trying to live in complete silence!” he said. “What if you fall ill? What if you try to tell me that something is hurting but don’t know how to tell me. You can’t think I will think to just fall asleep if I see you with eyes closed! I’ll probably think you passed out and try to revive you and end up cracking your ribs or something in the end! And what if _I_ have something important to tell you?” 

Lalli sighed. “You have a point.” 

They attempted to teach one another, but without any idea of where to begin, the process was a complete nightmare. No matter how often Reynir repeated certain words, Lalli just couldn’t emulate it until Reynir realized certain sounds in Icelandic didn’t exist in Finnish. 

It was going to take too long. Both had woken with barely any knowledge gained. Irritated, he cussed Reynir out, not caring that his throat ached and seared with pain with each word. He was certain Reynir fully understood him without aid of the flailing arms. 

“This will not work,” Lalli said again the next time they met in the dream world. 

“But—” Reynir began. 

Lalli held out a hand to signal for him to silent. “I have a better idea.” 

It was not ideal, but they did not have much time to learn. They brainstormed a entire vocabulary based on hand gestures both had agreed made complete sense and would be easy and natural to sign. Each gesture had to convey its corresponding concept so precisely well that it would be close to instinct for them to sign it, to minimize miscommunication. 

After seeing Reynir have an easier time picking up Finnish, he taught him all the common phrases he felt Reynir should know: “Help!” “Danger!” “Come here!” “I saw something!” 

“What about ‘Hello,’ ‘Good morning,’ and ‘How are you?’” Reynir asked when they were done with their first Finnish lesson. His hair bobbed over his face as he rattled off more phrases: “Good job,” “You look nice today,” “It’s so nice to see you well this morning”—mainly affectionate phrases. Lalli raised one eyebrow and kept that expression until Reynir got the hint, laughed off his questions, and finally left. 

Strange as the questions were, Lalli couldn’t deny the leap they caused in his heart, and when he awoke in the real world and his eyes rested on Reynir, already up and about, he smiled inwardly. 

_It’s so nice to see you well this morning_ , he thought.  

*

Stopping the bleeding had been a test of Lalli’s magical strength and patience. Reynir’s height and weight threatened to be a burden on Lalli’s body, and the nature of his injury only complicated the matter as Lalli not only had to pull the body with him, he needed to make certain he kept Reynir’s head still.

The first priority was to put in as much distance between themselves and the explosions. He skipped the nearest town, just in case the fire reached them in the middle of his healing. It was by luck that the next town wasn’t too far, but getting there took twice as long as Lalli would have liked. Lalli had half a mind to set Reynir down and run off to scout by himself, but he didn’t wish to risk coming back only to find Reynir completely missing, taken by some beast the night before. The thought stirred him to tighten his hold on the boy. 

Silence hung over the abandoned town like morning fog, and nothing in the air triggered Lalli’s attention towards any ghost or fiend. They were safe here. 

He located a sturdy building to drag Reynir inside and wasted no time getting to work. Blood had seeped onto his coat during the journey, but Lalli tried not to pay too much attention to it. The sight of blood did not bother him—he was well used to the sight and the smell from all the times of picking apart beasts—but he didn’t wish to ponder on how much blood Reynir had lost. 

The blood was only beginning to dry, to his relief, but magic was needed to expedite and seal the gash completely. His own wound in his throat was still wet, but he ignored it. He could breathe freely at least. If his condition took a change for the worst he would switch attention to himself, but for now all of his focus was on Reynir, who lay on the heavily dusty floor, eyes still closed and mouth slack, his hair damp with his blood. 

Speaking was impossible. Lalli resorted to thinking out the words as clearly inside his head, then mouthed the words, ignoring the ache in his jaw. When he felt a glow warm under his fingers, he was comforted. He brought his hand over the tip of the healing scar, and watched the skin seal completely, the blood wash off to reveal clear skin as if no wound had ever existed. 

Though the process took longer than he would have liked, in the end Lalli managed to heal Reynir’s injury completely. He leaned back, worn out. Sleep threatened to seep through his bones, but he pushed the temptation back. In case Reynir woke up while he was asleep, Lalli didn’t want him roaming around like the fool that he was and get himself into trouble. Especially when Reynir had no knowledge of what had happened as far as Lalli knew; the explosion must have taken him by surprise as much as it had for Lalli, and Lalli had no means of calling out for Reynir if he needed to search for him. 

But Reynir’s breathing was soft and rhythmic, his chest rising, his eyes closed, and his face a tranquil expression. A picture of perfect peacefulness, Reynir drew Lalli’s attention to him in the stillness of the room, hypnotizing him towards the world of sleep. But Lalli again fought against sleepiness, and busied himself with the matter of his throat. The injury wasn’t as worrisome as Reynir’s, though there was still the matter of speech impairment it had left behind. Due to the time it took for him to tend to his wound, it left behind deeper scars, and to his dismay his voice didn’t return after he completed the healing spell on himself. 

“Icelandic fool,” he managed, the words strangled. It would take time for him to speak properly again. 

Just as the last syllable left his lips, Reynir’s eyelids fluttered open, the sight of bright green a welcoming sight. His gaze was unfocused for but a moment before falling on Lalli. 

“Lall—” he breathed out, and pushed himself up on his elbows. Seeing the blood stains down Lalli’s neck and coat, the questions poured out of him in that language Lalli couldn’t even begin to parse. His arms flailed wildly, and Lalli wonder how much of the explosion Reynir remembered. 

“Sigrun!” Reynir cried out the name of their captain when he did not see her. He looked about themselves in the empty room, perhaps having noticed the lone pair of footprints on the dusty floor. The hitch in his voice carried the question. “Mikkel! Emil! Kisa! … _Tuuri_?” 

At the mention of his cousin’s name, Lalli winced with guilt. He turned away, not meeting Reynir’s eyes for a few seconds before drawing a sigh. Then getting to his feet, he helped Reynir up and grabbed the end of his braid. He led him back out of the house, through the town and the next and then back to the site of the accident. 

Reynir, despite his goofy smiles and bubbly, foolish personality, despite, as Lalli learned through conversations with Onni, was merely a novice mage, wasn’t an idiot. He simply stood and stared at the fires still blazing at whatever remained of the bridge up ahead as the two stood in a safe distance, rendered silent for once, then turned towards Lalli with unspoken questions. But his eyes shone with full understanding as if he had witnessed the events himself. 

The look Lalli gave him in return spoke clearly, and the pained gasp that followed was something Lalli wouldn’t forget for a long time. He gently tugged on Reynir’s braid to urge him to follow him back to their hideout, and on their march back he tried to block out Reynir’s sobbing. 

Later that night when both had finally succumbed to sleep, Reynir approached Lalli’s raft, uninhibited and uninvited as usual, but Lalli didn’t have the heart to push him back. Earlier he had sought to contact Onni to no avail. Onni had warned Lalli about contacting him in the dreamworld, but this was too dire. They had no other means of escape. 

Reynir lowered himself onto the raft, careful not to upset the balance as he settled beside Lalli. He didn’t say anything at first, though language had no barrier between them at all here. Lalli sat with his knees up against his chest, thinking of everything they would have to do together to survive in the days, weeks, months—possibly years, if it came to it—before they found the next patch of civilization. 

“I’m sorry about Tuuri,” Reynir began in a hollow and sad voice. He must have cried himself to sleep. Lalli didn’t sit around to see if he did, too tired as he was that he just dropped asleep the moment their first scouting around the town was complete. He glanced away again. 

“I don’t want to think about it,” he confessed. The words came out silent, barely even a whisper, even in the dreamworld his vocal cords suffered the damage of the explosion. He dug his nails into his palms; he really didn’t want to think of the cousin he should have spent more time with, had taken for granted. 

A warm hand closed over his and gave him a squeeze. 

“Hey.” Reynir’s voice, soft and soothing so close to his ear. “I am glad you are here with me at the end of all this. I feel safe.” 

Lalli bit the inside of his cheeks as the wave of emotions rushed through him. He dared to squeeze Reynir’s hand back.

*

The inactive fountain served as a focal point. Around it and down the widest alley, past an apartment where, on the balcony once bloomed an impressive collection of plants and flowers, down another alley behind a series of large dumpsters, a fat rabbit hopped across the alley. The blade struck it dead instantly, and popping out of his hiding place behind one dumpster, Lalli grabbed it before another larger animal might take hold of it. He drew the blade out and wiped it on the side of his boots. This was the first instance of having spotted wildlife in town. Lalli had been the one to catch sight of it, having noticed the tiny paw print back at the fountain where the rabbit had been grazing on a small patch of greenery before hopping off towards the alley. It was high time, as three days had passed in town and Lalli and Reynir’s patience were wearing thin. They were both growing hungry enough to consider traveling elsewhere, but there was no guarantee the next town would be as mercifully quiet as this in the Silent World.

He cracked the rabbit’s spine and pocketed it, then made his way back to where he had Reynir station. As Lalli passed the fountain, a chipped piece from a cracked corner fell, barely noticeable. 

Reynir stood in the middle of a wide intersection, in the midst of some grass growing out of the cracked pavement. The skies were grey, but thin strips of light shone down, adding spark to Reynir’s hair. His watch consisted of doing a full, slow, three-sixty degree turns, keeping a close eye for anything unusual. If he saw something, he would cry out for Lalli. If Lalli saw something, he would fire his rifle. That was their agreement. 

Lalli waited until Reynir’s gaze turned his direction, then waved and immediately signed to him: _come, game caught._ Reynir’s face lit brightly and he rushed to Lalli’s side, signing back (and talking excitedly despite himself.) 

Though they had finally food, they had nothing to prepare the rabbit with, so hunting for proper cookware became their top priority for the remainder of the day. By the time they had found everything they needed and set up a fire in front of the building they took up camp inside, the sun was already descending down. Reynir offered to cook after seeing Lalli attempt to throw the whole rabbit into the stew. 

_I do this_ , he signed while wearing a great sheepish grin. He made to turn to the bubbling pot before, thinking again, he held out the rabbit in front of Lalli. 

“ _Kanína_ ,” he said, giving the rabbit a little shake. “ _Kanína_.” 

Lalli nodded in understanding. It was an easy enough word to learn. “ _Kani_.” Though his throat cracked and ached with the word, it was just audible enough for Reynir, whose smile lit up his face. 

Reynir continued on with a string of chatter as he worked, just to keep a sort of continual stream of noise about. Lalli dashed in and out, hunting for whatever greenery he could to add to their meal. His grandmother had him spend weeks out in nature just to grow accustomed to the vegetation, and he had gotten good enough to easily identify which mushrooms were edible and which were poisonous. But not everything here was familiar, though he did his best. 

After they had eaten, they settled in their makeshift beds. Both feeling full to the brim despite the stew being bland, sleep came easily, and both must have been too tired to roam in the dreamworld. When Lalli awoke, Reynir was sleeping very close to him. His eyes opened as if he sensed Lalli waking next to him, and a sweet smile crossed his face. His hand rested just inches from Lalli, and Lalli returned the smile, small but just enough.

*

One time Reynir slept right next to Lalli, shoulders and arms touching. It was Mikkel’s idea, not allowing Lalli to sleep in his usual spot under the beds. Lalli’s Luonto had left him during that time, so he had missed out on waking with Reynir so close to him. He wasn’t sure what he would have done either. Starching Reynir’s face would have been the knee-jerk reaction. Send him running off like he had before though it was stupid of him, so stupid, when his heart was taken by him. He often wondered how it must have felt, sleeping so close to Reynir.  

Nights with him in the old building provided him a new chance, as the nights were long and cold. The bed materials they had first found suited them well enough, but the added body heat helped with keeping away most of the chill. 

Lalli tried not to show his agreement in having Reynir so close, but the other was so accepting of the situation, even offering a hand on his arm or to sling his long braid over Lalli’s body as a sign of trust, that Lalli couldn’t hold back his own ease at the arrangement. 

The following day they went hunting for better bedding, but even with thicker comforters they slept with their noses just barely touching. Reynir was almost constantly in Lalli’s Haven, but he never felt need to kick him out. Those were the times they could speak and plan their next day, and sometimes, futile though it was becoming, trying to contact Onni together. 

One morning, Lalli head back to the fountain and spotted a rabbit darting from the greenery, much as the other had done a few days past, and again Lalli ran after it. He caught the rabbit and passing by the fountain, another chipped piece fell. 

Reynir was trying to wash their clothes with the little supplies they could find. Scavenging for proper clothing and washing supplies wasn’t as successful. Moth had eaten away through most of the clothing fabric, and many of the detergents required electric washing machines. 

But whatever they could find, they used. 

“ _Kanína_ ,” Lalli announced hoarsely. 

Reynir was washing, and Lalli tried—as he often did when they were changing clothes—to look away as not to catch sight of any exposed skin. He had no problem with nudity; he was not unfamiliar with saunas back home, and he had been washed before all of the team before, but somehow the subject was different with Reynir. If a quick glimpse of his midriff was enough to send him seeking privacy behind a tree, his fingers working himself to climax as his mind teemed with images of Reynir, his lips on him, body pressed against him…

Lalli shook his head. 

Reynir was speaking, and he appeared in Lalli’s vision. He tugged on Lalli’s clothes, indicating that he wanted to take them for washing. It was protocol. Lalli understood that, but he needed to ready himself for disrobing in front of Reynir. As he handed over his clothes he noted the smile Reynir was giving him: it was not hostile or mocking, but there was something teasing about how he was looking at him. 

He searched within the pockets and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. Noticing the illustration on it, his smile glowed and he winked at Lalli as he handed it back. Unfurling it, Lalli saw it was the rune Reynir had drawn for the entire team; Lalli himself had never thrown it out. He glanced back up at Reynir and gave a little shrug to go along with his small smile.  

After he turned away, Lalli wondered—hoped would be the better word—if Reynir felt the same as he did.

*

“How did you end up in the food crate?” Lalli asked during one dream world visit.

“You don’t know?” Reynir said, surprised. “Weren’t you there when I told the story?” 

Lalli folded his arms in front of his chest. “Yes, I understood every word you said perfectly.”

Realizing himself, Reynir laughed. “Oh, that’s right! Sorry! Did Tuuri never tell you?”

He stopped short, but the tense silence lasted only a moment before Lalli shook his head. “I never thought to ask for the details.” 

Nodding, Reynir went through the entire experience again to distract him away from the subject of Lalli’s cousin. Lalli listened intently, holding out his hand to ask questions or have Reynir repeat to elaborate further. While they had fallen into a semi-comfortable pattern living in the town, they could not continue to do so. Lalli wanted them to get out somehow, be it either find some way to go back to Finland or travel to Iceland. Considering their location at the time of the giant attack, finding a way to Iceland might be the easier option, if they knew exactly where they were. 

“We need to find a pier,” Lalli mused when Reynir was done. “A ship can pick us up from there. But we don’t even have a map with us.” 

He had tried searching for one, but most were too faded to be of any use. They had found a small college library, which, while it contained no maps, did contain a book on runes. Lalli had been amused to learn that the rune Reynir had drawn for the team had been utterly useless (“As had been proven,” he wanted to say but decided against it), but Reynir had turned his attention in teaching himself as much as he could even while he couldn’t read the language in the book. 

“There’s a bookshop in the town,” Reynir said. “Near the end of it. I saw it while you had me keep watch.” 

Lalli nodded. “We will look there, and hope at least one of them’s in better shape than the rest of the maps I’ve seen here.”

*

It had to happen eventually. With the luck they had been having, what with the silent town devoid of any fiends and a supply of rabbits always lurking in the mornings around the fountain, it was naïve to think it would not change at some point.

The bookshop Reynir led Lalli to was small, a little corner shop painted in green that could have been easily overlooked had the beholder not paid attention to the contents through the window. Lalli patted Reynir’s back as a means of saying thanks, and they wasted no time searching inside. 

As before with the library Lalli tried not to dwell too long on the books themselves and what the original mission had been about. He hadn’t left the town to see if the fire still blazed, and neither did he want to know. If there was anything remaining of his cousin, he wasn’t ready to see it. And still they couldn’t make contact with Onni. 

He located a framed map on the second story. The first level was laid out wide open behind him. He studied the map, noting with relief that it wasn’t as eroded as some of the others they had seen, and had just reached out to unlatch the lock when he noticed the pair of yellow eyes staring at him. 

The figure sat hunched, visible underneath the glass display, shrouded in the shadows and between two large shelves. When it made eye contact with Lalli, it stepped out onto the light, and Lalli had a distinct memory of a hobgoblin in the illustrated books his grandmother used to read to him. 

He bit back the cry of revulsion and horror. His heart pounded. The creature was nothing he had ever seen. Before him stood something of a beast or troll, something that was once tiny that had swelled in size. Its yellow eyes bulged, its shadowy skin scaly and its ears long. Forgetting the map for a moment, Lalli took one step back as slowly as he could, but the creature noticed his intention. Its lips drew back, revealing rows of spiky teeth before opening wide till its entire jaw cracked open, a creature flipping itself inside out, and a larger troll emerging from its open mouth. From the depths of its mouth belched black fumes that formed into long tendrils, crawling down the walls like shadows, their terrible fingers reaching down for—

“Reynir!” 

Lalli’s screams tore, almost toppling down the stairs before grabbing onto the railing. Immediately he began a spell, ignoring the searing pain in his throat, but to his horror realized how awful his injury was that he could not enunciate his words as well as he could. He grabbed for his dagger, but the growl from the troll made his chest seize up with pain and topple to the ground. 

“Lalli!” 

Reynir’s feet pounded up the steps, and threw his entire body over the railing, placing himself between Lalli and the troll. His shouting was completely indiscernible, but Lalli pulled himself back to his feet and continued with his spell, as well as he could manage, just as Reynir attempted his own. 

Around them light flashed from the ground, and Lalli saw the markings of a great rune, protecting them both from the troll. Its great mouth opened, but no sound reached them. 

Reynir shrieked, and Lalli at first wondered if the troll had struck him, but then that was when his eyes saw the cracks on the landing. The ground beneath them trembled, then down the entire landing went with troll and the two mages atop. Lalli instinctively grabbed Reynir’s leg and squeezed his eyes before the impact when he heard the cracked glass of the display. They themselves were fine, standing on top of the landing, though the troll was also unharmed. 

_We should not let it get out the door_ , Lalli thought. 

Reynir whimpered, and Lalli realized that Reynir’s rune was shrinking. Suddenly Reynir grabbed Lalli and pulled him into the tightest embrace he had ever received, enough to knock the wind out of him. He was sure Reynir had gone mad, but suddenly realized just how blinding the light around them was, accompanied by a wind rushing around them like a tornado—so bright and loud that his senses were becoming overloaded, he understood Reynir was exerting all of his strength into the spell. But it was maddening Lalli. He felt like screaming for an entirely different reason now, unable to clamp his hands over his ears as it sometimes helped alleviate the moments of overstimulation. 

Sensing his discomfort, Reynir eased up on his hold just enough to allow Lalli to free his hands. 

“Sorry,” he said hastily in Finnish. He held a tight hold with one arm, the other creating a second rune in midair before commanding it right at the troll. Lalli watched, hands over his ears, as the rune engulfed the troll, causing it to seize and sputter before the life in its eyes began to fade. 

Reynir let go of Lalli, and Lalli lunged at the creature and drove the blade through its skull. 

He leaned back, breathing heavily as his heart continued to pound. His throat was back searing with the pain, and the taste of something wet, warm, and metallic had returned. He unlatched the lock of the cracked display and retrieved the map. After shaking the residual glass from the surface, he folded it up and pocketed it. 

When he turned around, he was swept into another big embrace by a shaken Reynir. 

The words that he rattled on were mostly things Lalli couldn’t understand, but the little Icelandic that he was picking up—worried, dead, lost you—made him smile despite himself. He motioned to Reynir at his throat to indicate he would not speak for the rest of the day, and after inspecting that and around him, Reynir gave him another embrace, and to Lalli’s shock, a kiss on the top of his head, on his brow, and—perhaps Reynir was aiming for his cheek, but Lalli quickly moved his head and instead captured Reynir’s lips for a brief kiss. 

With a tiny gasp, Reynir pulled back, but he didn’t seem offended—just surprised, and not unpleasantly so. He smiled sheepishly at Lalli, perhaps thinking the kiss was a mistake on his part, but Lalli smiled back.

*

“This will be to protect you wherever you go,” Reynir said. He was back perched on the edge of the raft in Lalli’s Haven. The first spell he cast was a healing one, the runes warm and soothing on Lalli’s scarred throat. Healing came easy to Reynir, but that fact didn’t surprise Lalli.

Next, Reynir wanted to place a lasting protective spell on Lalli. As it involved blood, he felt better doing so in the dreamworld. He drew on Lalli’s arm with one pricked finger. As each line was drawn, it seeped into Lalli’s skin, glowing into light. Lalli had the piece of paper with Reynir’s old attempt unfurled on his lap, comparing the two runes as Reynir worked. The protective rune was far more elaborate than the old attempt, not something that Reynir could have accurately remembered from seeing back in his home. 

Though runes were not his type of magic, though some Icelandic mages had been known to looked down on Finnish mages as inferior, Lalli found the runes beautiful and interesting in their own way. He felt their power mingle with him, Reynir’s magic inside him, which he embraced, and realized: Reynir was going to be an incredibly powerful mage. He could envy him if he wasn’t so taken by him.  

Reynir eyed the piece of paper with something that managed to be an amused frown. “Get rid of that! I was stupid and drew something that doesn’t exist! It didn’t help anyone.” 

Lalli shrugged. “You gave it to me. I’m going to keep it.” 

A little blush burned on Reynir’s freckled cheeks as he completed the spell. “That’s sweet. Romantic, actually.” 

The silence followed, and Lalli was sure they were both thinking of that kiss earlier that day. 

“I never took myself as the sort,” Lalli said after a while. 

Reynir smiled. “Everyone is in their own way.” 

“And how are you romantic?” 

Grinning, Reynir took Lalli’s hand in his, and kissed into the palm in just the right way that the tingles traveled pleasantly up Lalli’s spine. Reynir glanced up, a tiny mischievous glint in his green eyes. 

Lalli opened his mouth, a witty retort at the ready, when suddenly the raft shook, the water below them boiling along with the terrible thunderclap that tore across the sky. Reynir squeezed Lalli’s hand right in that instant, then both felt the world dissolve and in a painful few moments, they were ripped out of the dreamworld and awoke abruptly back in the waking world. 

The room was still dark, but the thunder was clear, still ringing in both ears. Reynir’s eyes were wide, and he jolted up to his feet and ran to the window. He peered out, then turning to Lalli he motioned with his fingers the action of rainfall and shook his head. “ _Engin rigning_.” 

Lalli joined him and looked out. There wasn’t a drop of rainfall, nor any sign of dark cloud, no lightning, no other clap of thunder in the distance. But there must have been something, for it had woken them both at the same moment. 

Taking a step back, Lalli frowned, cocking his head to one side. Throughout their travels, areas of Denmark had seemed to go through all four seasons within the span of a day, but not once during their time here had there been rain nor snow nor any slight change in weather. 

“Lalli?” 

He met Reynir’s eyes and shrugged. Whatever the sound was, it was not something they could investigate in the dark. He explored around the building to make certain no immediate danger laid about, then when he returned, it was to find Reynir still glancing out silently. The slight breeze blew his hair away from his face. 

Sucking in a breath, Lalli stood on the landing and just stared. He cursed whatever had caused the noise, knowing what it had interrupted. Their conversation in the dreamworld had been going well; no awkward confession of their feelings, which was a relief for Lalli who didn’t do well in expressing his own emotions with words. Reynir was open and genuine with his, which made the situation all the easier for Lalli. 

But just as they were getting somewhere, whatever had caused the loud noise had ruined everything. It was impossible to talk to Reynir now. 

Lalli sighed, then bit his lower lip. His throat did not ache as much as it used to. A glance at his arm and his sharp eyes could just make out the protective rune glowing just beneath his skin. 

Reynir turned away from the window, his eyes shining sadly. They could try to go back to sleep, but Lalli had another idea. 

“ _Huulet_ ,” Lalli said, motioning to his mouth as he closed the space between himself and Reynir. Then tracing Reynir’s lips, he repeated the word. “ _Huulet_.”

Reynir’s eyes lit with understanding. “ _Varir_!” 

Smiling, Lalli nodded. Lips. He stood on tiptoe to meet Reynir’s lips with his, letting the kiss linger. “ _Suudella_.” He kissed him again. “ _Suudella_.” 

“ _Kyssa_.” 

Lalli nodded, committing the word to memory. He moved to Reynir’s jaw and planted a kiss there. “ _Leuka_.” He moved his lips to Reynir’s cheeks, tracing his path with a finger. “ _Posket_.” Around to his ear, his voice dropping to a soft whisper—“ _korva_ ”— then down the back of his neck—“ _niska_ ”—as his finger traveled down beyond Reynir’s chest. 

Each kiss released soft moans from Reynir, his hands grabbing hold of Lalli’s arms for support. He sought out Lalli’s lips, the hunger and yearning with every kiss, every gentle bite on his lower lip. He pulled Lalli till their bodies pressed together, becoming more aware of their mutual need, their hips rocking against one another. 

Lalli pulled away, shaky fingers rested on his lips. Reynir studied him curiously, a little concerned, perhaps wondering if he had crossed some line. 

But Lalli smiled and shook his head, and taking Reynir’s hand, he led him away from the window and back to their bed. Reynir gave his hand a squeeze and kissed the palm of his hand again, the pleasurable tingles shooting through Lalli’s spine. 

Reynir smiled. “ _Lófa_.” 

“ _Kämmentä_ ,” Lalli replied breathlessly.

*

Lalli had always thought this to be the least achievable of desires, destined to remain contained within his mind, his own hands to bring him the bliss he could only share with Reynir in daydreams. But Reynir was with him now, in his arms. They had discarded their nightclothes, and the rest that followed came naturally, as much as it could come from two of their age and experience.

Reynir remained as genuine and gentle as ever. He led Lalli down on their bed, hands and lips roaming and kissing and caressing every inch of Lalli’s body.  

“ _Enni_ ,” Reynir said as he moved right up and kissed Lalli’s brow, and Lalli replied. He rattled off the name of every part that his lover blessed with his lips: _otsa, nenä, kaula, olkapää, rinta, nänni, vatsa, napa, lantio, reisi._

Then his lips traveled back up from his thighs, and when he next felt Reynir’s mouth, all sound left Lalli. He gripped a fistful of discarded clothes and blankets underneath him and looked down, meeting Reynir’s mischievous eyes again, a little tongue darting out to tease the tip of him. Lalli’s eyes ventured further, noting how aroused Reynir himself was. 

Reynir pleasured him close to climax before being pushed back, with Lalli wrapping his arms around Reynir’s waist and kissing around his hips and stomach, getting a chance to taste and kiss and touch the body that had captivated his fantasies since the start of the expedition. He swept down and returned the favor, tasting a mouthful of his love’s seed. Reynir’s own mouth didn’t stop the stream of moans and softly-spoken words Lalli couldn’t understand. It would have annoyed Lalli, but they were alone in a still land for almost a fortnight now, and no one was going to hear them. 

Reynir pulled him back when it seemed he was getting close, laughing lightly, and embraced Lalli. He didn’t want it to end. Neither did Lalli. 

There was something he wanted to try next, and urging Reynir down, Lalli rested flat on his back and brought Reynir on top of him, wrapping his legs around his hips to convey his desire. Reynir’s breathing hitched. 

“Yes,” he gasped out in Finnish, kissing Lalli’s lips. 

They took their time. They had the entire night all to themselves to explore their bodies, ready themselves, ease themselves together into this moment. Reynir entered him slowly, as gently as he could, his eyes watching Lalli intently for the slightest hint of pain. 

Lalli wanted to cry out, filled completely with Reynir, his Reynir. He grabbed hold of his love, one hand on his shoulder and another threaded through his red hair, held him close, as their hips moved rhythmically. The pleasure bubbled, the feel of Reynir, his moans and gasps, his hands on him…the sense of overstimulation was creeping back on Lalli, but every bit of the stimuli were good, so good. The tears that threatened to fall were entirely for another reason, and he dared to look into Reynir’s shining green eyes. Lalli tended to stare, but it was different here, to peer into his love’s eyes and lock gazes during their most intimate, most vulnerable moment, to have Reynir freely peer back directly into him, wide open as always, and to feel their very souls converge as they rode closer towards climax. 

Lalli’s tears mirrored in Reynir’s own eyes, who smiled gently and said something Lalli didn’t understand but somehow knew their meaning. 

Reynir noticed his tears and his eyes posed the question he could not ask with words, but Lalli pulled his head down and kissed him hard as his entire body gave in to Reynir, shuddering under him, and moments later, Reynir cried out gently into their kiss as his body followed. 

Neither boy released his hold of the other as they fell asleep.    

*

“The raft feels more sturdy,” Reynir said, tightening his embrace around Lalli.

“Because you’re on it now,” Lalli said sleepily. “This Haven is now partly yours.” 

“It is?” 

Lalli nodded, curling closer to himself. When they had woken in the dreamworld it was to find that both were asleep on Lalli’s raft, with Lalli safely asleep and tucked into Reynir’s arms. 

“Of course, fool,” Lalli said. “When was the last time you awoke in your own damn Haven? Don’t wake me up again. I had a long night.” The twitch of his lips made them both smile. Reynir chuckled and huddled Lalli closer towards him, nuzzling his nose against the back of his neck.  

“Good point. Though I think I see a sheep over there,” he mumbled playfully. 

Lalli cracked one eye open, grimacing at the idea of one of the critters invading his forest. 

“And hey, we’re fully clothed here, but we’re still naked in the real world…” 

Lalli groaned, exhausted as he was, though also amused at how giddy he was being. “Really, Reynir, one more word out of you…”

*

While they had the map, they still needed to investigate the source of the noise. They washed up that morning and Lalli led the way, peering into the buildings he most expected might have suffered a collapse during the night.

When he found nothing amiss, he motioned for Reynir to examine another patch of area across the street. They were nearing the fountain, and turning towards it, Lalli’s eyes fell on the rabbit. 

Again, there it was, in the morning just as the previous catches had been, a rabbit nibbling on the greenery before taking off. Frowning, Lalli chased after it and caught it with one throw of his blade. Then picking it up, his mind began to swirl. The rabbit had run to the exact same location all the previous rabbits had. Lalli had not fully paid attention to the rabbit’s coat, but now he took the moment to study and memorize the shape of the ears, the color of the nose, the white paws—one of the paws, the back right, was as tawny brown as the rest of its coat—and other unusual little markings he could store in his memories. 

Pocketing the rabbit, he made his way back. As he passed the fountain another chipped piece from the cracked edge fell, and Lalli stopped. Why did it always happen when he walked by, and only after returning from the alley? He took another look, and shook his head, counting how many times he must had passed the fountain. If each time a piece had fallen, then there should have been the evidence of debris on the ground. But there was only the chip that had just fallen.

Two incidents occurred close together, but it was enough to ignite a train of thought that only seeped more horror into Lalli’s bones the longer he dwelled on it. If he was theorizing correctly, then the mystery of the noise they heard last night was just solved, to their utter devastation. 

He stared at the fountain, committing each inch to memory, then looking up, he memorized the position of the sun in the unwavering grey sky. He would need that information later. 

He was only glad to be reunited with Reynir, finding him well and whole, and pull him as far away from the streets as soon as he could, and far from the bookshop. 

“Rabbit again?” Reynir teased when Lalli showed him his catch and began to ramble on in Icelandic, perhaps to say, “I’m getting tired of rabbit!” or “Why can’t you find anything else?” But Lalli didn’t have any heart to banter, stick his tongue out, or sulk as he normally would have. 

He stared out the window as Reynir cooked inside, despite the danger of making a fire indoors. Lalli had refused for them for stay out. Feeling only slightly safer on the second story, his eyes searched for the bookshop. He could go check, or find some means to lock it from the inside, but he was, as much as he hated to admit it, terrified of facing the creature within it again. 

Reynir passed him and tossed the bones out the window. Flinching, Lalli peered out, suddenly realizing something, and craned his neck in search for something else.  

“Lalli? What’s the matter?” 

Lalli froze, partly wishing he never taught Reynir certain Finnish. He could not say everything—it wasn’t like Reynir would be able to understand it all—and he was afraid of who or what could be listening in. He simply met Reynir’s eyes and shook his head. 

The issue continued to eat away at him, but he tried to busy himself by looking at the map, finding their coordinates and estimating where they must go, as the matter of escape was becoming more crucial. Reynir joined him for a while, a merciful distraction away from the horror that hung over Lalli’s shoulders. 

When Reynir kissed him that evening, Lalli nearly fell into the temptation, preferring Reynir over the looming danger outside the building. But his mind was too preoccupied and he shook his head, apologizing to Reynir by means of a chaste kiss. 

“What’s the matter?” Reynir asked again. 

Again Lalli shook his head. He stayed up while Reynir slept and kept an ear for any more noises, but when none came, he too slipped into sleep. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Reynir asked the moment Lalli opened his eyes in the dreamworld. “Did I hurt you last night?” 

“What?” Lalli’s eyes widened before understanding what Reynir was referring to. “No, no, not that. I…have to do something first before I tell you anything.” Lalli looked around himself. “You woke up here.” 

“Yes, why is that odd?” Reynir said. “I’ve been waking up next to you for a while now.” 

Lalli rubbed his arms. “This forest is getting smaller…” 

“Lalli, what’s going on? You’re scaring me!” 

Getting to his feet, he kissed Reynir. “I need to test something tomorrow. I promise, you will know. Just don’t make any mention of it in the waking world, promise?” 

The next morning, Lalli made for the window and looked out, searching for the position of the sun and determining how much time until the rabbit would appear by the fountain again. He made to leave and Reynir followed, but Lalli held a hand out, motioning for him to stay. 

“ _Af hverju?_ ” Reynir cried out in frustration. 

Lalli bit his lip. He didn’t know the words but could guess the gist of them. He wasn’t sure if Reynir was playing along or actually upset about being asked to stay back, so Lalli pushed him back, feeling his forehead with the back of his hand. 

“You’re unwell. Stay.” The words were unnecessary; Reynir could derive meaning from his actions alone, but it had the desired effect. He tried arguing back before leaning forward, his head bowed. Patting his head sympathetically, Lalli settled him back in bed, then got dressed and slipped out of the building. He was unsurprised by the lack of rabbit bones below the second-story window. They had never noticed them before. 

Again, there was the rabbit by the fountain. Again it ran to the alley. Again, a piece of the fountain crumbled when Lalli passed it after leaving with his kill. Every moment exactly as before, every inch of the rabbit exactly as the rabbits Lalli had caught before down to the single tawny paw. All occurring in the exact same moment of day. 

He didn’t want to kill the rabbit, just to see what would happen, but it was pointless to do any other experiment. He had all of the evidence he could possibly need. 

Stupid. He had been so stupid. In trying to save himself and Reynir, he had led themselves right into danger. They were trapped all alone within the belly of a beast. 

He bolted back to their hideout. 

Reynir was looking out the window when he returned, and his face lit up when Lalli appeared on the landing, questions just bubbling out of his mouth. But Lalli was quicker. 

The spell at the ready, Lalli sang it out, the words filling the room like the cracks of lightning and filling his heart with guilt, but he aimed the spell at Reynir, and he was blasted against the wall, rendered unconscious within seconds. Lalli followed. 

When Lalli opened his eyes, he was lying on top of Reynir, who had just released his breath as though all the wind had been knocked out of him. 

“Lalli! What—” 

“I had to do it this way so no one can hear us. We can understand each other better here. I put a spell on us so we would fall into a deep sleep and not wake up.” 

“You killed us both, is what you’re saying.” 

“Yeah.” Lalli couldn’t resist the little smirk. His grandmother had taught him this trick, reserved for beasts. “But I know the spell to reverse it.” 

“I hope so. I’m not ready to d—” 

“The town is a giant.” 

Reynir, eyes wide, was rendered speechless for a moment, then sputtered, “What? How?” 

“I don’t know,” Lalli said. “But the entire town is a monster of some kind. We’re in the Silent World; it’s some sort of weird thing that might not have been documented yet. At some point during the night, everything inside this town is reset. The rabbits I catch are all the same rabbits. Did you not notice that?” 

“Not really,” Reynir said. “The lack of genetic difference could be because they’re all coming from the same parents. It’s the same thing we see with the sheep on the farm back at home. It’s how everyone knows I’m the accident and my brothers and sisters were from the Dagrenning Program—”

“Shut up!” Lalli shook his head. “You weren’t the one hunting them. Each time, I caught them in the exact same place, same time, same series of events. The rabbit bones. Haven’t you ever noticed that they disappeared the next morning?” 

“I…didn’t pay attention. Sorry!” 

“I didn’t notice it at first either,” Lalli said. “They disappear every night.” 

“What of the rabbit we eat, then? Does it disappear from our stomachs?” 

“I don’t know. But that doesn’t bother me. That sound we heard two nights ago, which we never heard before that moment and since then—what happened earlier that day? Think.” 

Reynir thought for a quick moment then shrugged. “The battle in the bookshop?” 

“The landing that broke away,” Lalli said. “It must have been reformed and that’s what we heard. And if that rabbit is back every morning, then so is the troll we killed.”  

Reynir’s jaw dropped. “That…makes sense…” 

Lalli motioned around his forest with his head. “My Haven is shrinking. Yours doesn’t seem to exist any longer. We cannot reach Onni. The town itself is closing us in. There will come a point where my own Haven might no longer exist. We’ll live every day repeatedly on a loop.

“We can get out. We’ve studied the map. I know which way we should go. We will leave the moment we wake up. I’ll place the rabbit on the counter—I don’t want us eating something from this weird town—and we’ll pretend we have something to get from another store. Then we’ll leave. But get ready, in case the giant tries to stop us. We are leaving everything we’ve picked up here behind, even the map. I studied it long enough to know where we are and where we need to go next. Have you memorized as many runes as you could?”

“Just three: something to heal, protect us, and repel enemies,” Reynir said. “I figured that was a good place to start. Should be enough? I didn’t know some came with their own spells, so that took time to memorize. I was lucky that part was in Icelandic, at least.” Lalli’s nostrils flared in annoyance, wishing they could find a mentor for Reynir. “But hey—the town let us leave before, when you showed me the bridge.” 

“That was before the giant had reason to suspect anything from us,” Lalli said. “We’re behaving strangely now. It will pick up on us. Get ready.” 

He pulled himself into a sitting position, and Reynir followed. Placing one hand on Reynir’s forehead and one hand on his own, he began the reversal spell. Reynir’s arms came around him, his heartbeat loud and heavy, afraid. 

When they awoke, they were in one another’s arms, their heads slightly throbbing with the pain of the spell. They moved slowly as though the earth could give away below them at any moment, knowing what they now knew. 

Lalli played his part. He put on a show, yelling at Reynir over some frivolous matter, shaking the pot and declaring it useless, before slapping the rabbit on the counter. Then approaching the window, he pointed somewhere far off, and Reynir nodded. 

When they left, he heard the little gasp from Reynir, his attention stolen by the lack of rabbit bones, but he grabbed for Reynir’s hand and forced him forward. They kept on walking silently, though Lalli kept one eye on the direction of the bookshop. He had been half-tempted to run back there and bolt up the building from the inside again, but the terror of coming up against the troll, and the thought of essentially going through all that trouble only for time to reset at midnight, prevented him. He could only hope the troll remained in its place tucked between the bookshelves. 

Reynir squeezed his hand just as a tiny fear-filled sound escaped his lips. 

Lalli froze. He felt it too, faint though it was. Somewhere far off, for the first time—eyes on them. 

He squeezed Reynir’s hand— _keep going_ —and resumed, but they only went so far before the ground beneath them trembled and they froze again. 

Simultaneously they broke into a run, barely able to hold onto one another’s hands as the ground shook and the earth split open. Reynir shrieked and pulled Lalli against him; they were right at the edge of town, but the ground was breaking and black shadow seeped through the cracks, the entire town splitting like the cracking of a shell…Lalli’s eyes widened as he peered into the widening crack. 

The ground lifted. Soon they were staring into the most massive giant that Lalli had ever seen or heard of. The entire town grew out of its body like an odd sort of shell, and the monster’s long tendrils belched black smoke. Its long jagged mouth stretched out open, but before it uttered anything, Reynir cried out again. 

Light engulfed them, more vibrant and rich than the last time Reynir had cast it. The rune shone under their feet with such vivid brilliance that Lalli was certain it would imprint through the ground itself for the rest of time. Suddenly there was also color around him; no longer just grey, but also green, and a little further off was the bleating of sheep. A flurry of red passed him, and he noted it was Reynir’s fylgia, and he couldn’t help laughing, realizing how much he missed the sight of the sheepdog. 

Reynir’s voice rang out, beautiful and commanding, his foolish love challenging their gigantic fiend. He stood with his arms thrown out, the magic swirling around him. The circle did not waver, but only continued to shine, growing even more powerful. The sheepdog’s barks resounded. 

Lalli couldn’t help smiling. _And he only knows three spells. My fool._

Standing right in front of Reynir, Lalli too began his own spell, the song of his _runo_ mingled with the Icelandic spell creating a whirl of power that shook the ground with light. Lalli shut his eyes when he thought he would not be able to endure the flurry of stimuli, focusing all of his energy on his spell, opening them only when the monster’s anguished cries as the double spell struck it and drove it back down reached his ears. 

“Now,” Lalli commanded. 

“Yes,” Reynir replied and performed the next rune-spell, aiming it straight at the monster just as Lalli began the next _runo_. They felt their magic converge as the rune soared through the air, striking the monster in a bursting shower of swirling sparks. 

Reynir grabbed Lalli and ran back just in time to dodge the flying debris as the entire town came crashing back down. Lalli couldn’t see what remained of the monster, but that was well enough. Time would reset during the night, and if that meant the monster would return, they needed to be as far away from the town as possible. 

They ran a few paces before Lalli stopped Reynir. Pulling out his knife, he etched “danger, do not enter next town” in large letters on the ground, then turned to Reynir. 

“Danger,” he said and signed at once, and Reynir nodded his understanding. Lalli handed over his blade and Reynir wrote the Icelandic equivalent. _Just in case._

Getting up, Reynir gave back Lalli his blade, then gave him a kiss. 

“Good job!” Reynir said with a big warm grin. “We did good!” 

Lalli gave a small smile and nod. They had done well. 

Looking about themselves, he pointed in the next direction they were to go, and they shared a smile. Their hands found one another, and Lalli held Reynir firmly. All alone again and facing unknown dangers, but they were together. Lalli would have to show Reynir how much that meant to him later on, once they found camp as far from this place as possible. 

He turned towards Reynir and gave another small smile. 

_I’m glad you’re with me. Here, at the end of the world._

*

The moment Sigrun saw the spark, she moved at the speed of lightning: shoved Mikkel aside, grabbed Emil’s collar with one hand, grabbed Tuuri’s with the injured arm and hoisted one—she didn’t pay attention which kid it was—to Mikkel before the blast sent them all flying over the edge of the bridge. Something screeched and grabbed hold of her face, and it was only when Tuuri crawled towards her and relieved her of the cat that she realized what it was.

The fire blazed above them on the bridge, and large chunks of cars and trucks, and their doomed tank, rained down in pieces. Sigrun screamed at them to get away before she noticed the two missing mages. 

“Where’s Twigs and Freckles?” she demanded, trying to keep the fear down in her voice, but the rest of her crew, as bloodied and bruised though they were from the blast, were equally distraught. 

“What have I done?” The pupils of Emil’s eyes were tiny dots, his voice tight and tiny. Grabbing his arm, Sigrun led him towards the bridge, but another blast followed that sent half the bridge collapsing, and the two doubled back, Sigrun cursing loud enough for everyone to hear. Seeing Tuuri whimpering and trying not to cry too loudly, clutching the kitten close to her, guilt and shame poisoned Sigrun’s heart. By the time the third tank exploded, she made certain there were no more casualties. 

As the bridge burned into smoke, they lingered with no place to go, no tank, stunned by the deaths of two of their crew. The shame boiled in Sigrun’s belly, tasting sour in her mouth. She thought of the report she would have to give, or having to go on knowing there were two kids she could not save. 

Night drew on, and when finally the fire ebbed away into smoke, she remembered the mission. Their entire task had been a failure, all the books burned along with the boys. 

Sigrun shook her head. Forget the damn books. 

“We need to retrieve the bodies,” she announced the following morning. “It’s only fair for their families. They’ll want something to bury.” 

“I don’t want to see them,” Emil said quickly, looking away. Tuuri didn’t respond, who had instead found comfort in holding on to the crew’s kitten. Sigrun glanced at Mikkel, who shrugged and followed. 

They peered through the remains of the bridge and below for nearly an hour before Sigrun gave up. 

“I don’t believe it, they must have completely dissolved!” she cried out, then immediately hoped Tuuri and Emil did not hear her. 

“Or they have mourned our untimely deaths and went on their way to survive in the wilderness,” Mikkel said flatly and pointed to two pairs of footprints in the snow. 

Gasping, her grin spread from ear to ear as Sigrun ran up to see the most beloved sight for herself. As hope filled her heart, she turned around and called out. “Tuuri! Emil! Get yourselves ready! I know which way we’re heading next!”  


End file.
